<div class="image-full-width">
<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-7/old-manila-i-airport.webp" alt="Old Manila International Airport" />
<div>
(The Manila International Airport in the 50's)
</div>
</div>
<p>
With the abolition of National Airport Corporation in 1951, ownership and management of the airport fell to the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) under the Department of Commerce and Industry. In 1956, the CAA was transferred to the Department of Public Works, Transportation and Communications.
</p>
<p>
The first 13 years of the airport were marked by the building of infrastructure dedicated to international flights. The international runway and associated taxiway were built in 1953, and 1961 saw the completion of a control tower and a terminal building for the exclusive use of international passengers at the southwest intersection of the runways. This system came to be officially known as the MIA.
</p>
<p>
On March 4, 1982, the MIA Division under the Bureau of Air Transportation was abolished by Executive Order 778. In its place, the MIAA was created and vested with the power to administer and operate the MIA.
</p>
<h3>
Sudden name change to NAIA
</h3>
<p>
On August 21, 1983, the former senator and opposition leader Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. was assassinated at the tarmac of the then MIA.
</p>
<p>
On August 17, 1987, the House of Representatives of the 8th Congress, during its first regular session, passed HB 47, which proposed the renaming of the MIA to NAIA.
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1987/ra_6639_1987.html" class="news_link" title="RA 6639", target="_blank">Republic Act (RA) 6639</a>, "An Act Renaming the Manila International Airport as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport," lapsed into law, without executive approval, on November 27, 1987.
</p>
<p>
This law is the shortest in the land - with only 44 words, including the title. It states in full: 
</p>
<div class="article-comment">
<p>
"Republic Act No. 6639; An Act renaming the Manila International Airport as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. 
</p>
<p>
Section 1. The name of the Manila International Airport is hereby changed to Ninoy Aquino International Airport. 
</p>
<p>
Section 2. This Act shall take effect upon its approval."
</p>
</div>
<p>
That's it. What is the reason for renaming the MIA as NAIA? Nada. Why was it renamed? Was it to honor the assassinated senator or for political reasons? It is rather obvious that the law is incomplete in its face.
</p>
<h3>
NHCP guidelines on renaming public structures
</h3>
<p>
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has established the "Guidelines on the Naming and Renaming of Streets, Public Schools, Plazas, Building, Bridges and Other Public Structures."
</p>
<p>
Section IV of the NHCP document provides the rules for naming/renaming of public structures after persons. "Public places such as those already named after presidents, national heroes cannot be replaced with names of people of lesser importance (e.g. places named after national heroes cannot be renamed after local heroes; places named after presidents cannot be renamed after senators)."
</p>
<p>
More importantly, no public place should be named or renamed after a person within 10 years of his death except for highly exceptional reasons. Ninoy was killed in 1983. MIA was renamed to NAIA in 1987. That was only four years from the death to the renaming - which violated this guideline.
</p>
<p>
Likewise, NHCP directs that "no public place should be named or renamed after a person when questionable propriety might arise from the said act." Is RA 6639 not questionable in itself? Was the NHCP consulted in the crafting of this law?
</p>
<h3>
Names of other international airports
</h3>
<p>
Majority of the airports around the world are named after the place or the destination it serves. Examples are Dubai International Airport, Hong Kong International Airport, Frankfurt Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Seoul Incheon International Airport, among many others.
</p>
<p>
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade association for the world's airlines, representing some 290 members from 120 countries, has established airport codes. These are three-letter codes designating many airports and other major destinations around the world. The IATA codes for the above examples are DBX, HKG, FRA, SFO and ICN. The IATA airport code for the NAIA is MNL, which clearly reads as "MaNiLa."
</p>
<p>
Using NAIA is confusing to the air travelers, especially with an IATA code of MNL. Why not revert the name to MIA instead of renaming it to PPP (Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas) or PIA (Philippine International Airport)? PPP is IATA code for Proserpine Airport in Queensland, Australia while PIA is for Peoria International Airport in the United States.
</p>
<p>
Why name an airport after someone? Why not just name it after the geographical location where it stands?
</p>
<p>
Return our main airport's name to Manila International Airport.
</p>
<p>
In this country, there is much more to the naming of a public structure in honor of a dead person - it is invariably for political name recall.
</p>
<h3>
HB 7031
</h3>
<p>
House Bill (HB) 7031 was filed at the House of Representatives about two weeks ago. It proposes the renaming of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas (Philippine International Airport). According to the bill's authors, it's about time the name of the airport is changed.
</p>


<p>
<strong>Sources</strong>: 
</p>
<ol class="article-sources">
<li>
Revert air terminal name to Manila International Airport, Al S. Vitangcol III, July 11, 2020, <a href="https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/07/11/opinion/columnists/revert-air-terminal-name-to-manila-international-airport/740178/" class="news_link" target="_blank" title="Source">Manila Times</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="http://nhcp.gov.ph/resource/guidelines/nhcp-guidelines/" class="news_link" target="_blank" title="Source">National Historical Commission of the Philippines</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.miaa.gov.ph/" class="news_link" target="_blank" title="Source">Manila International Airport Authority</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1987/ra_6639_1987.html" class="news_link" title="RA 6639", target="_blank">Republic Act (RA) 6639</a> An Act renaming the Manila International Airport as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
</li>
<li>
Photo credit: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Lahat1900s.ph" class="news_link" target="_blank" title="Photo Owner">Lahat 1900's Facebook Page</a>
</li>
</ol>





History of the country's premier airport; Why revert name back to Manila International Airport